County commissioners have decided to beef up security at the Colfax County Courthouse in Schuyler.

The board voted 3-0 Tuesday to accept a nearly $8,700 bid for a security system that will let judges and other courtroom personnel remotely lock the building exits if a prisoner tries to escape.

The Columbus Telegram reports that Sheriff Paul Kruse said the board's action was prompted by an incident last summer. Kruse says a defendant stepped outside a courtroom to chat with his attorney but instead bolted from a deputy and fled through an unlocked door. The man was soon captured, and no one was hurt.